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Scott Engel breaks down his Week 1 fantasy football lineups analysis, spotlighting key NFL players to start and tougher lineup start/sit decisions to make.
Welcome to Week 1, RotoBallers! Below you will find some of my spotlight plays and tough lineup decisions for Week 1 of the fantasy football season.
These are based off my Premium Weekly Lineup rankings, available as part of the RotoBaller Seasonal Premium Fantasy Football Package. Enter promo code KING at checkout and get access to all of my ranks in all formats, plus a full roster of tools and analysis for the entire 2019 season.
Skill position picks here are mainly based on PPR ranks.
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Spotlight Starters for Week 1
Leonard Fournette (RB11): He will be a key to staying in the game against the Chiefs. The Jaguars must simply play ball control to keep the powerful Chiefs offense off the field as much as possible. Fournette may not stay healthy the whole year but should get off to a good start in Week One.
Josh Jacobs (RB14): While everyone else will be focusing on Antonio Brown and Derek Carr, Jacobs will prove to arguably be the most important newcomer in Oakland. His rookie season will get off to a fine start as he displays his all-around skills and fills the RB gap that has long existed with the Raiders.
Matt Breida (RB25): He is actually listed as the starter on the 49ers depth chart. Breida was impressive last season, as he was tenacious and determined, and he will be a quality flex play when healthy. He does tend to get banged up, but he is available for Week One, so utilize him.
Tyler Lockett (WR11): He is playing the old Doug Baldwin role, and has the big play ability, as evidenced by his 10 TD receptions last season. The Seahawks should roll past Cincinnati at home, and that means 100 yards and an end zone visit for Baldwin, very possibly on a rainbow throw from Russell Wilson.
Tyler Boyd (WR24): The Bengals will play from behind at Seattle, and can make some passing plays even when they are not quite blown out yet. If there is one weakness in the Seahawks Defense, it is the secondary, and Boyd can exploit it when Andy Dalton goes to a quick paced attack to try and stay in the game.
Michael Gallup (WR28): The breakout season will begin immediately against the Giants secondary. Amari Cooper may not be his true self as he plays through plantar fasciitis, and Gallup may get deep for a few downfield strikes and should also get in the end zone.
Drew Brees (QB7): He did not produce well down the stretch last season, and the Saints may not always need him to post outstanding totals as their defense is better than it was in his best Fantasy years. But watch him trade offensive punches with Deshaun Watson this week.
Dak Prescott (QB11): The Cowboys will roll up a lot of points on the New York defense, and Prescott will lead the way. He won’t be an every week Fantasy starter this year, but he is a strong streamer in the season opener.
Mark Andrews (TE10): It will be a low-scoring game in the South Florida heat. But Andrews will catch Lamar Jackson’s only TD pass of the day.
Delanie Walker (TE12): Marcus Mariota cannot be trusted, but Walker is the one he knows he can trust. If the Titans want to stay in the game against the Browns, Walker will be involved often.
Tough Lineup Decisions for Week 1
Duke Johnson over Phillip Lindsay: Johnson gets the call here because he may get the opportunity to have a heavier workload and should be in line for five to six catches. Lindsay is coming off a season as a more impressive runner, but Johnson may split less reps with his backfield mate.
Miles Sanders over Devin Singletary: Both rookie running backs are expected to lead committee approaches. Both of them could split workloads with veterans and lose some playing time to pass-catching RBs. But Sanders is more likely to play in a higher scoring game and that’s the key difference here.
Sterling Shepard over Cooper Kupp: The Dallas secondary presents a challenging matchup for sure, but Shepard is ready to assume the role as the Giants’ No. 1 WR and should be good for five to seven catches. Kupp has to share targets with Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks and may not be his true self for a few weeks as he continues to make his way back from last year’s knee injury. He is ready to play, but we may not see the best of him just yet.
Jamison Crowder over Dede Westbrook: This was not an easy one, but I just do not trust the Jacksonville passing game yet, and as indicated previously, their offense will be centered around the ground game. Crowder should be Sam Darnold’s busiest target with Robby Anderson dealing with a calf problem.
Matt Ryan over Jameis Winston: There is a lot of hype and expectations surrounding Winston, again. But until proven otherwise, he is erratic and unreliable. Ryan was the No. 2 QB in Fantasy last year and there is no way I am starting Winston over him yet.
T.J. Hockenson over Austin Hooper: The Lions will want to get their prized rookie into the offensive flow right away. Hooper has much less of a chance of getting in the end zone than Hockenson.
